


Not What He Seems (Mystreet Rewrite)

by PeannutWrites



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), aphmau-fandom, mystreet
Genre: Low key suggested Zane has depression, Mild Language, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:07:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27999495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeannutWrites/pseuds/PeannutWrites
Summary: After a magickal cat mix up, Aphmau is turned into a cat and forced to bring Christmas cheer to someone so she can reverse the curse. But when she stumbles upon Zane, who takes her home with him, she discovers that there might be more to him than meets the eye. What will she uncover about one of her old high school enemies? And will this have a lasting effect on their relationship forever?
Relationships: Aphmau/Aaron Lycan, Aphmau/Zane Ro'Meave, Katelyn/Travis Valkrum, Kawaii~Chan/Zane Ro'Meave
Comments: 1
Kudos: 28





	1. A Christmas Cat-tastrophe

**Author's Note:**

> I pretty much just got tired of waiting for a Mystreet rewrite (don't harass Jess please) and decided to make my own UwU It's only the episodes in Zane and Aph's friendship arc though (plus some Zane~Chan on the side because I can't help myself ;v;)

This day was a disaster.

Aphmau sighed as she trotted through the snow, dainty cat paws cold and wet. First there was Kawaii~chan’s dumb promise. Why’d she have to go and tell that stupid cat lady that she could cat-sit for her when she knew damn well she had work today?! She was far too caring and naïve to turn anyone down, it was so frustrating sometimes.

Then one of those stupid cats just HAPPENED to be magick and decided that she needed to “spread catmas cheer” or whatever the hell that damn Randy cat said. Irene, she was sure she would wake up at that point, but _no_ , it just _had_ to be real and not just some weird nightmare she was having after drinking too much eggnog. Then- to make matters worse- she couldn’t talk! So she couldn’t tell Katelyn what was happening either!

Then the _guys_ happened. For sure, she thought, they’d let her be cute and make them happy and get it over with, right? Nope. Instead, Garroth gave her a bath. A _bath_ . It was so _embarrassing_ . And then they started talking about taking her to the vet and getting her _fixed_ . The very thought of what would have happened had she stayed absolutely _mortified_ her.

Aphmau was _exasperated_. What else could possibly go wrong today?

“A… purple cat?”

Aphmau stiffened with a gasp as she whipped around to see the owner of the familiar, deep voice. It was a tall, pale man with jet black hair that covered one of his brilliant blue eyes. He was wearing white skinny jeans and a black and grey hoodie with a matching scarf that was pulled up over most of his face.

_‘Zane?!’_

The raven haired girl (or rather, _purple cat_ at the moment) was all to familiar with Zane, he was the one who put their school though _literal hell_ with his stupid Jury. The one who took control over the Shadow Knights and had them beat up anyone who dared oppose him. The one who seemed to enjoy nothing but watching the pain and suffering of others as they bent to his will. The same kid who would end up in juvie every other week and had to be bailed out by his annoyed father for one reason or another.

The same annoyingly charming, charismatic, smooth voiced, and _stupidly handsome_ man who cared for no one but himself: _Zane Ro’meave_.

 _‘Great,’_ Aphmau thought, _‘As if today couldn’t get any worse.’_

“What are you doing out in the snow alone?” The black clad man queried, his silky voice tinged with… _concern_? No, couldn’t be, must’ve been sarcasm.

Aphmau scoffed in her head, _‘Well I could ask you the same thing, but I don’t really care.’_ she mused.

Zane knelt down to her level, holding a hand out for her to… _sniff_? Ew. “Poor thing, you must be scared. All lost and alone out here like this…”

Okay, now he was _definitely_ starting to sound concerned… Was he concerned? Or was he just _that good_ at sarcasm?

“If you let me pick you up, I can get you out of the cold… and I _might_ have something to eat at my place,” he offered.

Hold on, was he _serious_ ? _‘Huh? Is- is he being_ **_nice_** _?’_ she thought for a moment, _‘I mean… I don’t have any other options; Katelyn kicked me out of the house and if I go back to those guys, well...’_ she shuddered, _‘Ugh, I don’t even wanna think about it.’_

Then she looked up at him: his face, or what she could see of it at least, was filled with so much… _sincerity_. It was a look she had never seen in all the years that she’d known him. It was… nice.

 _‘Hm, alright,’_ she exhaled, _‘what’s the worst that could happen?’_

* * *

Once Zane had brought her home, he went straight to the kitchen and put her down, turning to the cabinets. They were mostly bare, she couldn’t help but notice, aside from a few boxes of cereal, snacks, and cans of soup. She heard him mutter something under his breath that she couldn’t quite make out before going to the other cabinet, this one being neatly organized with miscellaneous dishes and mugs, and pulled out a small sauce dish and placed it on the counter. Aphmau shuffled out of his way as he stepped over to the (quite empty, yet again) fridge, grabbing a half-gallon of milk and pouring some of it into the bowl and setting it down for her.

“I know cats aren’t supposed to drink milk, but it’s all I have,” he shrugged apologetically. 

Aphmau sniffed at the white liquid in the dish, _‘Hm, better than nothing, I guess…’_ she lapped up the milk for a bit before she heard Zane move once again and looked up.

She saw him look through the cupboard again, grabbing a box of instant hot cocoa and a mug. He turned on the stove to boil some water, tore open a packet, and poured it into the mug. Then he headed over to the food cabinet once more to grab a bag of marshmallows. Once the water started boiling he turned off the stove, poured the water in the cup, and then stirred it with a spoon. Once he was done stirring, he tapped the spoon on the lip of the mug and put it in the sink, letting the drink cool.

The entire time he was doing this, Aphmau watched him in awe. She’d never seen him like this before; so calm and reserved, so mild and placid, and yet, somewhat… sad? Every movement he made seemed so anxious and melancholy. As if there was this strange depression that loomed over him.

After a moment of silence, Zane noticed her staring at him and gave her a questioning look. Realizing she was gawking, she abruptly turned away and continued drinking her milk. Zane chuckled.

“Do I really look that weird?” he joked, sounding kind of sad. “I wouldn’t be surprised, a lot of people tell me I look strange,” he sighed, looking down wistfully. He wasn’t lying, he would often hear people criticizing his looks; telling him about how he should ‘smile more’, or ‘quit looking so grumpy’ or things along that line. He really hated it, but no matter how much he’d complain, it never stopped, and probably never would.

Aphmau, on any normal occasion, would be one of those people; but right now? She kinda felt… bad about it. _‘Did… did it really hurt him that much?’_ she pondered, _‘huh… maybe we are a bit… harsh about it,’_ then she huffed, _‘What do I care?_ **_He’s_ ** _the one being mean to everyone who meant no harm, he_ **_deserves_ ** _it.’_ Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little crummy about everything…

She finished her milk and looked back up at him as he reached into the bag and grabbed… a _lot_ of marshmallows… and dumped them into the hot liquid. He then pulled down his mask a little (not enough for her to see his face) and took a sip before noticing the lack of milk in her dish.

“All done?” he asked in a kind voice, picking up the bowl and setting it aside. Then he grabbed his cocoa, and began to make his way to the living room. Not knowing what else to do with herself, Aphmau followed him as he headed over to the couch, put his drink down on the coffee table, and sat down. She stood there for a moment, unaware of whether or not she should sit with him or if he would get mad at her.

Her inner turmoil was put to rest, however, when Zane patted his hand on the space next to him, signifying her permission to sit on the couch with him. After she did so, an alarm on Zane’s phone went off. Zane looked at it and groaned, putting it down and walking back into the kitchen.

Aphmau watched him curiously as he came back in with a glass of water in one hand and something very small in the palm of his other hand. He sat back down and pulled down his mask once more, throwing the small thing in his mouth (pills?) and then taking a sip of water, pulling his mask back up afterward.

“Irene, I _hate_ taking medication,” Zane grumbled aloud to himself. He then looked at Aphmau, “Feel better?” he asked, shaking her out of her trance.

She looked up at him and giggled inside her head, _‘Yeah! I mean, ugh,’_ “Meow.”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Zane chuckled. He grabbed the remote and turned on the tv, tuning in to the 1988 _“How the Grinch Stole Christmas”_ special. As the show played on, he turned to her and spoke once more, “Y'know… an animal has never let me take it home before. I was honestly joking with you at first, but I didn’t expect you to actually _let_ me pick you up.”

 _‘Oh, so it_ **_was_ ** _a joke and you really weren’t being nice to me,’_ she laughed in disdain, _‘I see how it is.’_

“Y’know, I was never allowed to have a pet before,” he sighed, “Dad always _hated_ animals larger than hamsters around the house, _especially_ cats.”

 _‘Oh, my Irene,’_ Aphmau cringed, _‘I can already tell what’s gonna happen…’_

“Well, I guess you can stay here until tomorrow,” the tall man voiced, “I can hardly take care of myself, let alone a cat.”

_‘W-what?’_

“Besides,” he continued, “I’m sure you have an owner somewhere who’s worried about you. I’ll have to take you to the shelter tomorrow.”

Aphmau sat there in bewilderment, _‘Wait... is he serious? He’s not gonna keep me?’_

Zane seemed to notice her confusion and gave her a weary, apologetic look, “Sorry, but with all the jobs I keep losing, I can’t afford another mouth to feed.”

_‘L-loosing jobs..?’_

“I’m lucky I have my parents to fall back on, otherwise I’d probably end up homeless,” he made a joking attempt, but it fell flat.

_‘Homeless..?’_

“Ugh, who am I kidding? I can’t keep a job, and pretty soon my dad’s gonna get tired of me asking for help and throw me out on the streets again,” he lamented, resting his head in his hands.

 _‘_ **_Again_** _?!’_

Aphmau was astonished, she never knew he was in so much money trouble. _‘So that’s why he was taking so many odd-jobs,’_ she realized, _‘And all this time I thought he was up to no-good. Irene, was I wrong…’_

The fatigued man looked up and laughed, “Guess that’s what I get for being such a jerk all the time, heh.”

This last conviction hit Aphmau like a truck. Did he really feel bad about the way he acted toward people? With the way he acted, she just kind of assumed he didn’t care. She never imagined he could actually… feel remorse.

 _‘Zane…’_ she sighed, _‘He’s been really nice lately, I wish there was something I could do to show him my gratitude… aside from meowing…’_ That’s when it hit her, and she remembered the purple bow around her neck, _‘Wait, there is! The ribbon!’_ she gasped.

“Tch, why am I even telling you this? It’s not like you can understand m- huh?” Zane was suddenly cut off by the feeling of something on his leg. He looked down and saw the lavender ribbon that was once around the cat’s neck sitting there, Aphmau’s paw resting next to it.

“How did you even take that thing off? Y-your… giving it to… _me_?” He picked up the piece of fabric, looking confused, and Aphmau just looked up at him and smiled.

“Wow… I’ve never gotten a gift from someone who wasn’t family,” he gave a teary laugh, “b-but I guess you don’t count as a someone, right cat?”

Aphmau blinked, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. _'Huh? Is he actually tearing up?’_

Zane let out a sob, joyful tears welling in his eyes, “Th...thank you…”

The cat giggled, “Your welcome, Zane.”

Suddenly, in a flash of light, the spell on Aphmau was undone, and she returned to her human form, startling Zane.

“Y-YOU?! What the-! Is-is this some kind of prank?!”

_‘...Shit.’_

Without warning, or even answering Zane, Aphmau booked it out the window, breaking it in the process.

“M-my window! Grr- _you’ll pay for this_!”

* * *

Aphmau huffed and puffed as she made it home, almost busting the door down as she came in. (Thankfully it wasn’t locked after Katelyn kicked her out.) Once she got a moment to breath, she looked down at her hands, noticing the small scratches and cuts from broken glass.

_‘Man, I haven’t busted a window since high school…’_

“Aphmau?!” the chocolate eyed girl looked up to see her two roommates running toward her, “Where have you been?! I had to take care of those stupid cats myself!” the blue one blurted.

“Kawaii~chan is _so_ sorry Katelyn~sama!” the pink one explained, “I didn’t think the cats would be so much trouble!”

Katelyn waved Kawaii~chan off, “Yeah, yeah, I don’t care,” she addressed Aphmau once more, “So where were you?!”

Aphmau looked at them and blinked.

“ _Wouldn’t you like to know._ ”


	2. An Explanation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zane tries his best to forget his troubles. Meanwhile, Aphmau has some explaining to do.

_"M-my window! Grr- you'll pay for this!"_

Zane shook his fist as he watched Aphmau run away from his house. He couldn't believe this! What the hell was she thinking?! Why would she turn herself into a cat and then go home with him like that? Pretending to be all cute and friendly, acting like she was actually enjoying his company… listening to his problems and… giving him a… gift…

Zane looked down at the purple ribbon in his hand as he backed up and sat on his couch. Then it dawned on him: he had just let his guard down. In front of _Aphmau_. The girl who had been all but his mortal enemy throughout high school. The same girl who had done nothing but insult and make fun of him in freshman and sophomore year. And he had just… opened up to her, let down his walls and told her everything that bothered him.

"Oh Irene…" the full weight of the things he said hit him with full force, "I'm an _idiot_."

Tears welled up in his eyes and he hid his face in his hands as heart sunk. Gods, why was he so _stupid_? How could he just let his guard down like that? He felt so utterly embarrassed. All those years he'd spent building up his reputation suddenly put to waste.

The man started to sob. He had no doubt in his mind that, by this time tomorrow, everyone in the entire neighborhood would know all about the moment they shared. She wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut and everyone would laugh. They'd laugh and laugh and remind him just how stupid and unlovable he is.

Zane's cries grew louder and filled the room. He wanted nothing more than to just curl up and die. Just _disappear_. He prayed that Irene would just erase his miserable existence right then and there, but it was hopeless.

After a long, painful minute of crying, he took a deep breath and tried his best to pull himself together. It took a lot of effort and he could still feel the sobs bubbling in his throat, but he sucked it in and made a decision.

"I'm gonna take a bubble bath."

* * *

" _WHAT_?!"

Aphmau diverted her eyes as her two friends looked at her in astonishment.

"A-are you _serious_?!" Katelyn blurted, "You've been at Zane's this whole time?!"

The raven haired girl looked back at her with a weak, somewhat sarcastic smile, "Well, yeah; I mean, after _somebody_ kicked me out, I didn't really have much of a choice."

The blue-haired girl flushed and looked away angrily before the meif'wa beside her chimed in.

"So let Kawaii~chan get this straight," she spoke, ear twitching as she tilted her head in contemplation, "Aphmau~senpai got turned into a cat by one of the kitties Kawaii~chan was supposed to cat-sit, then Katelyn~sama kicked you out of the house, and then Zane~kun took you home?"

Aphmau nodded, "Yup, that's pretty much it. Well… I _tried_ to get the guys help but…" she visibly shivered, "I don't wanna talk about it…"

Katelyn and Kawaii~chan looked at each other in confusion, then shrugged.

“So you had to stay with Zane for an hour?” Katelyn snickered, “Sounds like _torture_.”

Aphmau smiled bashfully, “Well, actually, it… wasn’t so bad.”

“ _Seriously_?” The icy-eyed girl stared in disbelief, “It wasn’t that bad?!”

“Yeah, I-I mean,” the shorter one shifted awkwardly, “I know it sounds crazy but… he was actually really… _nice_ to me.”

“It sounds _beyond_ crazy to me!” The blue one proclaimed, “This is _Zane_ we’re talking about. He’s never been nice to anyone in his life!”

“I have to agree with Katelyn~sama, Aphmau~senpai,” the cat girl said sweetly, “Even though Kawaii~chan believes anyone can be a good person if they _really_ try, I don’t think Zane~kun is that nice.”

Aphmau frowned, she figured they wouldn’t believe her.

“Besides,” Katelyn interjected, “Weren’t you the one who said Zane was a lost cause? Cause I’m pretty sure-”

“Yeah, yeah, I know what I said,” The Latina interrupted with an eye role, “I’m just… telling you what happened, okay? Zane was actually _nice_ to me- unlike _some_ people today.” She gave Katelyn a cold stare, the other woman crossing her arms in alienation.

“Now _calm down_ ladies,” Kawaii~chan asserted, “Kawaii~chan understands how stressful today has been, but I think we should all take a moment to breath.”

Aphmau sighed, “I guess you're right, Kawaii~chan.”

“... _Fine_ ,” Katelyn grumbled. She then smirked and turned to Aph, “So what exactly did “Mr. Edgelord” do that was so nice?”

The small woman opened her mouth to answer her taller friend, but stopped to think for a moment. Would Zane appreciate it if she told her friends about his problems? I mean, he didn’t even know it was her when he said all those things, so it was obviously really personal to him. Not to mention she doubted Katelyn would feel the same level of sympathy she did…

“O-oh, well… he just kinda, y’know… took me inside and… gave me some milk and… talked to me and… s-stuff…” She trailed off, scratching her neck, “N-nothing too big, heh…”

Katelyn and KC stared at her, making her shift uncomfortably.

“Well… okay…” Katelyn shrugged, “I guess it’s not worth speculating.” She stretched with a yawn, “Welp, I figure we should just turn in for the night then.”

Kawaii~chan nodded in agreement and yawned as well, “Yeah! See you in the morning, Aphmau~senpai!”

Aphmau smiled at them as they headed off to their respective bedrooms, “Good night, guys.”

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Zane’s place, the tall man had turned on the faucet and began to fill the tub, pouring in some strawberry-scented bubble bath. Once the bath was drawn, he eased into the steaming hot water and tried to relax.

Zane sighed. He still felt exhausted after all that happened today. First he lost his job as mall security, not that that was anything new. He lost a job almost everyday now, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he lost another one anytime soon. At least he’d been able to keep his job on the neighborhood committee for quite some time now, though he wouldn’t miss it if he wasn’t. All the responsibility was hard to manage, and he’d probably end up quitting himself if he didn’t need the money.

But all that was nothing compared to what happened with Aphmau. _Irene_ , now that was embarrassing. He still felt horrible for what he said. Surely, by now, she had at least told those two girls she lived with all about his problems. They were probably laughing at him together at that very moment. Calling and telling everybody and their brother about how pathetic he was.

He sunk down in the bath, his freckled nose just above the bubbly, pink water, trying to make himself as small as possible. He just felt so awkward and _helpless_ . It was a feeling he’d been all but used to since he was little. _‘That’s all they’ve ever done,’_ he thought, _‘_ **_Laugh_** _.’_

He did have some amount of hope though. A hope that maybe, just _maybe_ , Aphmau wouldn’t tell anyone. That she’d forget or pretend it didn’t happen or something. It was highly unlikely, but who knows; maybe she wasn’t so heartless after all.

Zane sighed once more and closed his eyes. He tried his best to forget about today. To forget about all the things that would constantly go wrong in his miserable life. Maybe, if he was lucky, it’d get better someday. Maybe…

* * *

Aphmau laid in the darkness of her room, contemplating the events of the day. Aside from the weirdness of being a cat, she actually sort of… enjoyed the company she had with Zane. Sure, he might still be a huge jerk, but she felt like she had been able to see a different side of him. A side that nobody, not even his _brothers_ had ever seen.

She closed her eyes and began to drift away into warm slumber. _‘Maybe he’s not a lost cause,’_ she hoped, _‘Maybe he’s different. Maybe… just maybe… he’s…_

_‘_ **_Not what he seems.’_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter isn't too boring >3> I wanted to take some time to focus on the aftermath of the whole situation. Also soft Zane is best Zane UwU


End file.
